This is the all ears English podcast vocabulary that is sick, but not sickening Welcome to the all ears English podcast Downloaded more than 200 million times.
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Today, we answer a listener question about the word sickening.
How can this word mean something good and something bad?
Listen in to this high -level episode to make your vocabulary more sophisticated.
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Hello, Lindsay, how are you?
Hey, Aubrey, I'm feeling pretty good.
How are you? Nice. so you're not sick.
When's the last time you were sick?
Oh my gosh. I was sick in January.
I had to sit out a couple of episodes and wasn't feeling so great, but I'm recovered.
I'm glad you're feeling better.
Filling a hundred percent.
Yeah. What about you?
Have you been sick lately?
No, it's been a long time since I can't even remember the last time I felt sick luckily because yes, a year or more.
Oh my gosh. Sometimes, you know, it's when we, when we recover from being sick is when we feel grateful for our health.
Right? Exactly. We don't really appreciate it until we lose it.
It's so true. Today we do have a great question from a listener talking about the word sick and sickening, right?
All the different ways that we use this word, which we use them a lot of different ways in English, so I'm excited to dive in.
Do you want me to read the question?
Yeah, please do. from Mateus Proficio.
Hi Hey guys, I was watching a TV show, a British one and heard the expression, how you like them apples and in American movies, how about them apples?
Both are used in the United States and can I throw them in a conversation?
Are they out of style?
There's also another one.
It's sickening. But by the context it meant something good, I guess.
Is it okay to use this expression in a good way?
Thanks. Love the show each day a lot more.
Oh, beautiful. Mateos, thank you.
Oh, and such. All right.
Amazing questions. And we talked recently about this phrase, how do you like them apples?
Yeah. So stay to the end, we'll share that episode so you can go and listen to it for the answer to this first question.
Yes. And today we're going to dive into the second part of his question about its sickening, because we do sometimes use this positively.
Oh, I'm excited. And how do you like them apples?
It's also a very important movie reference and you'll figure that out towards the end of the episode.
So you're going to hear about that in that episode.
Yep. Yeah, it's good.
Right? So I love that Mateusz is asking this high -level question because he's maybe heard native speakers take a word that seems negative, but is sometimes occasionally in the right context being used in a positive way.
That is super high level, right?
It's super high level and confusing because you will hear both.
You will hear sickening use to mean very negative and then also to mean extremely positive.
How confusing is that?
I know we have to pay attention to context and that's what we try to do here in All Others English is teach you everything in the context of a conversation.
So shall we just dive right into it, Aubrey?
Yeah, let's dive in.
So sickening is an adjective.
It can be used negatively to mean something is super disappointing or disgusting, right, and for example, his behavior is sickening.
That means you find it appalling.
You'd think it is, you know, atrocious, despicable, disgusting, sickening.
Yes, yes. And maybe it makes you feel sick how bad it is, right.
Or that politician's actions are sickening, right?
Yes. We've all been there where we see someone doing things that are just inexcusable, and we call them sickening.
I think I'm permanently sickened right now by everything that's going on.
So that's a side point.
But then there are moments when you can use it in a positive way, right?
So here's an example.
That couple is so in love, it's sickening.
Now, what is happening here, Aubrey?
Let's break this down.
Yeah, so maybe you see a couple embracing, kissing, and you might say this to a friend, especially like if you're not in a relationship and you're a little bit bitter.
But really what you're saying is that it's beautiful, like this is beautiful, they're so in love, It's actually extremely positive.
But we use this almost like slang to be kind of funny, be like that is sickening.
It's so beautiful. There's maybe like that baby is so cute.
It's sickening. Yes, it's sickening.
I think that's definitely a valid way to use it, especially when you want to be really emphatic.
And if you come back to another kind of physical response, let's say, I guess a lot of our listeners, if you've tasted American desserts, you might feel that they are sickening, right?
They're very sweet.
This is another important piece here, Aubrey, physically sickening.
Something is overly sweet or overly intense.
I think it's kind of related to this idea of, oh, this couple in love, it's the metaphorical version of overdoing it on sweetness or intensity.
Does that make sense?
Exactly right. And you can, any smell or there are a lot of things that you could find sickening and you literally mean this is kind of making me sick to my stomach. Like a desserts is too sweet.
A very strong smell that's noxious.
Right. But we also use it.
Yeah. Just like you said, that overly sweet feeling, metaphorically for love or babies.
Yeah. Is there any kind of food that you find sickening Aubrey, anything that most people like but for you is just maybe too rich or too intense.
The only thing I find sickening is a food in the United States called Sloppy Joe's.
Have you ever had sloppy Joe's?
Yeah we used to have that a lot as a kid.
Yeah, same. And I hate them so much. It's like a hamburger with like red sauce, and you just slop it on a bun.
I find it disgusting.
I find it sickening.
I don't know how anyone can eat it.
That's so funny. I love that.
You know, I, I was saying in another episode, I went to a steakhouse on Tuesday night and I order, I don't really eat steak.
So I ordered a gnocchi and it was an appetizer, but it was kind of sickening because it didn't have that great of a flavor, but it was just really creamy.
It was, must've been 5 ,000 calories on a plate, who read sickening after I had eaten three or four of them, I, it was sickening.
It was too much. Yeah.
The other thing, just mentioning a steakhouse, if a steak is too rare or it's like bloody, I I find that sickening too.
Like I get it. I don't want it overcooked, but I also don't want it bleeding on my plate.
Exactly. So this is, so that's good.
So when you think about using that in a positive way, it's kind of the metaphorical version of how you feel when you eat sloppy joes, or when I ate the gnocchi, right?
This is a good way to think of it, I think.
Yes, exactly. And what's interesting, we're going to also share sicken and sick because sick we use positively a lot.
But first let's go over the verb sicken.
So the adjective is sickening, the verb is sicken.
So this is to make someone feel disgusted or appalled.
So all of these examples, you could change them a little and say, you know, her behavior sickens me.
I find it sickening, it sickens me.
Yes, exactly. Her behavior sickens me.
I think this might be a new usage for a lot of our listeners, so I'm really excited for them to get this, you know, get this today and start using this.
Or politicians often sicken me with their actions or their rhetoric, right?
Yes. And in the same way, we can use this positively, just like sickening.
Be like, oh, that couple is so cute kissing that they sickens me.
Yes, exactly right.
That's a good point, too.
It can also be used in that positive way, and we're just saying it's different reaction we're having.
It's over. It's too much, right?
Exactly. Just using it as a verb instead of an adjective, but with the exact same meaning.
It's overly sickly sweet, and then if this is in your personality, again, this is the cool thing about our listeners at their level, right?
They have a choice whether to use things that fit in their personality or maybe don't.
I don't think this next way is in everyone's personality to say.
I don't think I would say this, but Aubrey, what is it?
We really wound up with this now.
sick as an adjective used positively.
It's slang to mean something is cool or impressive.
It is like you said, part of someone's personality and you have to remember it means cool like hip.
It can't just mean good, right?
You wouldn't be like, that TV is sick.
I really like it. I bet it was expensive.
Has to be something that it's like you mean, it's like a direct synonym for something being really cool, right?
Like her tattoos are sick.
I love them. And you have to really drive it home with your intonation, otherwise it won't work like your tattoos are sick, right?
Exactly. So our tattoos are sick.
I love them. What else might we comment on?
Yeah. Anything that was cool.
Like maybe there's a paint like a graffiti painting that you walk past and be like, that is sick.
Like you're commenting that it's impressive.
You think it's very cool.
Oh that's so sick. Or I could imagine like two dudes Yo, looking at their car engine, bringing up the hood, oh my gosh, your engine is sick, right?
Special engine or I don't know, something like that.
And this is, it's been around for a long time.
You might see it in a movie from the 50s, 60s, 70s.
Someone's like, oh, sick man, that's so cool.
But we still hear it today.
I still hear people say sick.
Has it been around since the 50s?
That's so funny. I thought it was sort of a recur, or a new or a, I don't know, new thing.
But wow, I'd have to look it up.
I feel like I've heard it forever, but it could be one of those things that's just permeated the culture so much that it feels like it's been around for a while.
Right. Right. I feel like you could have maybe heard it in Fast Times in Ridgemont High or something like that, like the seventies.
Yeah. Right. Yeah. So I bet that's about when it, when it came about in the seventies, let's do a little mini role play here, because often you'll use it to respond to something.
I love it. So here we go.
Hey, I've started making graffiti art.
It's really fun. Sick.
I want to see. Cool.
So that's why I'm saying, it's this is not in my personality to say this.
It would, it just wouldn't, it would feel too, it kind of, it does, I would say it feels a little young when you hear this.
I'm going to say that.
Yeah. And I think it is mostly younger people that use it.
Like you said, it's not, it doesn't mean you can't, but the intonation is really important.
What you're saying it about is really important.
You wouldn't use this for just anything, has to be something that that really is pretty cool and unique.
Anything else we need to know here, Aubrey?
Yeah. So like I had kind of mentioned before, be careful what you describe this about.
They would never say like, that symphony was sick.
The movie was sick, especially with that intonation because of course, sick also means ill, like you are not feeling well and so if you don't use it about the right things and with the intonation, it could be extremely confusing.
Wait, you're sick? You feel sick?
What's happening? I mean, I think you could say that movie was sick.
You just have to deliver it the right way I mean don't you think anything could be sick because it's in our view that was amazing that movie was sick Oh, you should have seen it.
You didn't see it. Okay.
Maybe that's like an action film something you would call cool Yeah, yeah a romance.
You would never call it sick right?
Cuz you wouldn't call it.
Yeah, it has to be I agree so certain genres maybe a sci -fi movie or something, oh this concept was sick right.
Yeah if you would call it cool, be like, oh the effects were so cool you'd be like the effects were so sick but if like a romance even a romantic comedy if you wouldn't call it cool that romance was so cool, no you would never know.
You might choose different words, you might choose different words, it's your last chance.
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See you there. OK, Aubrey, let's bring it to life for our listeners.
So here we are friends and we're just chatting at lunchtime.
Yeah, I'll start us.
I love your wallet.
Is it new? Yes, I found it on sale for an amazing price.
I love a good deal.
Hey, have you spoken to Natalia?
she told me what her ex did yes I feel terrible for her what he did sickens me I agree the whole situation is sickening let's get her a gift or flowers or something and see if she needs to talk nice that's what good friends do right exactly right and we use them all here I first and I wasn't saying the wallet was sick if it were really cool I maybe could be like sick wallet but I am talking about the deal like I love it good price a good deal so I'm saying and like, oh, that's cool, you got a good deal, sick.
Yeah, interesting. Right, right, right.
Yeah, for sure. And then, oh yeah, I said, so it sounds like her ex did something really bad, and then you said, yes, I feel terrible for her, what he did sickens me.
And this is the very negative way, right?
Exactly, right? Whatever he's done, you know, he treated her poorly, and so we were saying, I say what he did sickens me, and then you say the whole situation is sickening, using that as an adjective.
And this is a negative way to use that, right, where it literally we mean that it sickens us, we feel sick because of what he says.
And I think anytime in English when we can create that imagery, right, you're seeing something happening in front of you, whether it's something in the news or something that happened to your friend, and you're saying it's the equivalent of you feeling physically sick.
That's powerful, right?
So maybe could have added here like oh, they used to be such a cute couple.
It was sickening. How adorable they were and how perfect they were for each other.
Right. Then it would be the positive.
Yeah. No, that's a really good one.
I love that. Wow. This is a really high level episode.
If you really think about it, guys, come back, listen again and then start experimenting with one version, whether it's the positive sickening, the negative one or the word sicken.
Also try one of these.
Okay. Yes. And thank you Mateus for this amazing question.
So interesting. And we want to share where you can find the answer to the first part of his question.
It was All Ears English episode 2312.
So you could scroll up or you could come find it on our blog.
It was called Themes the Breaks.
When to throw out grammar rules.
Actually the best way to find an older episode.
It's not that old, but get the app and then you can search the episode number on the app.
Yeah. Go into the app, just go into the App Store, type in All Ears English.
English, you can download the app for free.
You can listen for free to all the episodes and you'll be able to find the episodes much faster by using that search bar, I totally agree.
And maybe your listeners need to go to that episode to find out where that quote is from.
Many of them already know.
Right? If you don't, you don't want to miss out on that episode because it is a movie quote that has really permeated the culture.
We use it all the time.
And it breaks grammar rules.
So that episode gives you some details about when you can break grammar rules expressions.
what we use that like that thems the breaks, that's not grammatical.
No, be aware, exactly.
Any takeaway for our listeners today?
I think this has been high level.
I love it. Yes, it's very high level.
Words like sick and sickening are not just used to talk about being ill, right?
We want you to be able to use today's phrases to connect about something being cool or upsetting in English and we want you to be aware of these multiple meanings for words so that you're not confused when you hear them.
All right, sounds good Aubrey.
I'll see you very soon in the next episode.
You have a good day All right.
Thanks. All right you too next time.
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